Things That Matter
by Catherine4
Summary: When Adam responds to a difficult call, it brings up painful memories for Kim. But neither of them could know what consequences it will have for their family.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone. I've had the first 2 chapters of this fic written for a while but I held of posting as I didn't know when I would find the time to continue. I still don't frankly, but I will do my best. After the last 2 minutes of last night's episode (3x12) I think we could all use some Burzek togetherness in our lives. Sob. (Kim, talk to Adam not Sean for goodness sake!) Erm, anyway... I hope you enjoy, please leave feedback. Thank you in advance!

 _When Adam responds to a difficult call, it brings up painful memories for Kim. But neither of them could know what consequences it will have for their family._

 **Chapter 1**

Halstead climbed back into the car, trying to balance a coffee in each gloved hand. Antonio took his gratefully and cupped both hands around the warm Styrofoam. Jay could not shut the door quickly enough, his breath leaving a trail of mist inside the car even after the door was shut.

"Man, it's cold out. Is this as high as the heater goes?"

Dawson shrugged, taking a sip of the piping hot liquid. "Unfortunately. Remind me again why we don't live in California? February in Chicago is no fun for anyone."

Jay looked over and grinned his lop-sided grin. "It's fun for the Polar bears."

Antonio rolled his eyes. "Because this city is not crazy enough, you want to throw bears onto the streets?"

They stayed parked in front of the diner, staring through the fogged up windshield. Antonio drummed his fingers absent mindedly on the steering wheel. It had been a few weeks since the old friends had been partnered together, they were glad it was turning out to be a relatively quiet day so they could catch up. Even the hardcore crazies were choosing wisely to stay inside in the warmth.

"Any plans for the weekend?" Jay took a long gulp of his coffee.

"Yeah" Dawson smiled. "Libby's coming over. We're going to, uh, stay warm." He winked and Jay jabbed him in the ribs.

"Oh yeah?" Jay smiled. "I'm happy for you man. It's all going well then?"

"Definitely. She met the kids last week. We went ice skating. They seemed to like her."

"I'll bet."

Antonio's kids weren't really kids any more. Eva was a High School Senior. But they would always be his kids. He hated not seeing them every day but they came to stay in the city with him whenever they got the chance. "How about you? Got a date? With that blonde chick, what's her name?"

Jay sighed. "Katy? Nah, that didn't work out. I'll probably just stay in and watch movies in my bachelor pad of despair, with no one but my TV and a six-pack for company." He piled on the sarcasm but there was a hint of regret in his voice. He sat back and stared out at the empty road.

"I'd offer to keep you company but I have more important things to be doing."

"Alright, don't rub it in."

Just then the radio crackled to life. "All units. Call to Northwood Elementary School. We have a missing minor, likely abduction." It was Voight's voice that filled the car.

Jay reached for the radio on the dash. "On our way, Sergeant."

Antonio put down what was left of his coffee in the cup holder and took off the handbrake, signalling to pull out into the road. He paused and looked over at his partner. "Hey, isn't that Izzy's school?"

* * *

"Daddy!"

An excited squeal echoed across the playground as Izzy ran full speed at her father, arms out-stretched.

"Hey there Sweetpea. Be careful on the ice okay?" Adam caught his daughter before she collided with his legs and scooped her up, planting a kiss on the top of her purple bobble hat. "What are you doing outside?" He hugged her tight, her bright red boots dangling in the air. This was the kind of call that made you want to hug your kids.

Lindsay walked through the gate behind him and stepped aside to allow uniform to file in. She squeezed Izzy's arm as she walked past. "Hi trouble." Over Adam's shoulder, Izzy grinned back.

Adam pulled away from her slightly so he could see her face. Her big brown eyes stared back at him and she grinned. Izzy had the same eyes as her mother, and Adam was powerless against them on both his girls. "I saw Uncle Hank through the window and knew you'd be coming too." The six year old wrapped her arms around Adam's shoulders again and he lowered her to the ground. Looking up to walk further inside the gate of the school grounds, he saw Miss Martinez, Izzy's teacher walk towards them.

"I'm sorry Mr Ruzek, we tried to keep all the kids inside but I couldn't stop her." The woman smiled apologetically.

Izzy tugged at Adam's jacket with a pale blue mitten. "Are you here to find the big girl?"

"Yes baby. We're going to do our very best." He placed her hand on the top of her head and she leaned into his side, burying her face into his leather jacket to hide from the cold.

"Can you tell me what happened Miss Martinez?" Lindsay led the woman a little way away so Izzy couldn't hear.

"Please call me Lucille. It was recess, I was on playground duty. Some kids were running in and out of the trees by the fence. They know they're not supposed to go back there where we can't see them. I was on my way over to tell them to stop but I got distracted by one of the kids crying because he'd slipped on some ice and cut his knee. I want tending to him by that bench." She pointed timidly, then wrapped her arms back round herself protectively. "The next thing I knew two of the 5th graders ran up saying Maria had gone."

Lindsay looked over to a boy and a girl gazing out the window at them, their eyes red from crying.

Lucille continued. "I followed them over to the corner of the playground, behind the trees. There was blood on the ground. Only a bit, but Maria's hat was lying on the ground too." Tears filled her eyes. "It's all my fault."

Ruzek came up behind them, clutching Izzy's hand. "We'll need to take a statement from you soon Ok?" Lindsay laid a hand on the teacher's arm. She nodded silently.

"Go inside with Miss M ok baby? I need to do my job now." Izzy nodded, biting her sleeve and he watched after the two of them as they walked inside, only turning his attention back to Lindsay when they were out of sight.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm cool. Come on, tell me what we know?"

"Maria Robinson, 10 years old. Went missing around 1:20pm." Voight stood with twelve or so patrolmen, holding up the school photo of the missing girl the receptionist had pulled from the files. Sean Roman looked at his watch. It was 2:15pm. He saw a bright, happy African-American girl smiling out from the photo, her round cheeks glowing, her long hair in braids falling around her shoulders. "A small amount of blood was found at her last known location. She's likely injured, every second counts. I want you all canvassing the area, knocking on every door."

There was a collective nod from the uniforms as they dispersed. Voight handed the photo to Roman as he turned to leave, and shifted his attention to Halstead and Dawson, who had just pulled up to the curb and climbed out. "Here Serge" Jay said, slamming the door.

"Get on the phone to Mouse" Voight said to him before he could take a step. " I want all CCTV footage within a five block radius, tell him to look for any suspicious vehicles hanging around the school today." Jay nodded took out his cell phone.

"Do we think she was abducted?" Antonio's voice wavered, remembering his own son going missing all those years ago.

Voight picked up on the meaning to his words and looked at him with sympathy. "We have to assume so, yes. The girl's parents have been called, I'll get Roman to meet them when they get here and bring them down the station. I'll go and talk to anyone who might have seen what happened."

Dawson nodded gravely, his mind elsewhere. After a few seconds he blinked, and his focus was back on Voight. The Sergeant continued. "Two of the girl's friends are inside, they're the ones that realised she was missing. Ruzek's with them."

Antonio pocketed his notebook as Voight walked away. "Where do you want me?"

"Go help uniform search for witnesses."

* * *

Voight brought a cold breeze into the lobby as the automatic double doors slid open to let him through the entrance. The two children were sat on a low blue couch with Adam standing a short distance away from them, his back against the wall. None of them said anything. The boy sniffed quietly, either strating to cry or finishing, he fiddled with the woollen hat in his lap. The girl just stared blankly ahead.

Adam met his eye as he walked over and went to meet him half way. "They're pretty shaken up" he said in hushed tones, "I haven't asked any questions, I don't want to upset them, you know?"

Both men were fathers, they knew. But they also knew that to find out clues to Maria's disappearance they might be forced to ask some difficult questions to these two frightened kids. Adam glanced over at them and sighed.

"Have their parents been called?"

"Yeah, the receptionist has just got off the phone to them."

Voight walked over and crouched on the floor. "Hey guys. Your parents are on the way, ok?" They both nodded. "My name's Hank." He paused, waiting for them to offer the information of their own names voluntarily. He needed them to trust him, and Adam who was now beside him. "This is Adam."

The children looked at each other, glancing uncertainly at Voight. "Are we in trouble?" This was the first sound the girl had made since they'd got to the school.

"No, of course not. We need your help to find your friend, that's all."

"But we weren't supposed to go behind the trees."

Voight took a deep breath, unsure what to say. The irony of this situation had not escaped him. He had no trouble beating information out of hardened criminals, but persuading a couple of frightened ten year olds to tell him their names was proving difficult.

Adam crouched down too and smiled. "You guys are in the 4th grade right?"

"Fifth!" The boy relaxed his shoulders and stopped playing with his hat. He sniffed.

"Ah. It must be cool being the oldest in the school, hey? My little girl goes here too, but she's only in the 1st grade. She has Miss Martinez this year."

"We are Reading Buddies with Miss Martinez's class. What's her name?"

Adam relaxed, and slowly moved to sit on a chair a little way from the couch the. He pulled it closer. "Her name is Izzy. She's told me about that. She loves reading with you guys, books are her favourite thing."

"I know her, she's Jessie's Buddy." The girl also seemed to relax. "I like books too."

They were all quiet for a moment. Voight had stepped away, deciding Adam was in a much better position to make the children feel at ease than he was.

"My name's Hannah. He's Ty."

A little while later, Adam felt a tap on his shoulder. It was the school's receptionist with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry to disturb you Detective. We're sending all the children home early, we all thought it best. Would you like me to call your wife to collect Isobel?"

"No." He answered somewhat sharply, but instantly mellowed. " It's alright, we're nearly done here. I'll take her with me." He didn't want to worry Kim, he needed time to think about what to say to her.

The woman turned to return to her desk, she looked stressed. Hannah and Ty's parents had arrived and were comforting their children on the couch down the hall where they'd remained ever since they were brought inside. Voight was with them, Adam saw him say something to the group although he was too far away to hear. He watched them gather up their belongings and begin to follow him out to the cars that waited just outside the school gates.

He spotted Izzy's teacher leading her to him from around the corner and saw her face light up when she saw him. He felt his own smile widen, but instantly felt for the parents of the missing girl. Izzy flew at him, her little red backpack bouncing on her back. She was bundled up in her coat, ready to go. Adam held out his arms to her.

"You ready to go Iz?"

She nodded. "How's the investigation going?" she asked, her face suddenly serious.

Adam poked her playfully. "Where did you learn to talk like that?" Izzy shrugged. "You'll have to come back to the precinct with me while I finish work. Is that alright?"

Izzy nodded enthusiastically. Inexplicably, she loved it there. Some days it was the last place Adam wanted to be. Like now, in fact. All he wanted to do was take his baby girl home and kiss his wife. He wanted to hold his family close in the warmth of their home and never let go. He couldn't bear to think about how he'd feel if it was Izzy who was missing. He shook that thought from his head and ruffled her hair. "Have you got your hat? It's cold out." She held it out to him, clutched in her small fist.

As he bent down to place the hat on his daughter's head, Ty and Hannah and their parents walked past.

"Don't worry" Izzy piped up when Hannah stopped briefly and looked at them with a strange expression on her face, "my Daddy's the best cop there is." Adam saw a flicker of a sad smile on Hannah's face and felt proud of his caring girl.

Bringing up the rear, Voight stopped with one hand on the door frame. "You ride with Tonio, me and Jay and one of the squad cars will take the families back to the precinct."

Down the street, Adam opened the door to the car and gently pushed Izzy and her belongings into the back seat, sliding in beside her. Antonio, in the driver's seat, turned around when he heard them climb in. "What's up Zee?"

He held out his fist in greeting and Izzy stretched across for a fist bump as Adam leant over to buckle up her seatbelt. "Hello, Uncle T" was her reply, full of attitude. She grinned.

Adam rolled his eyes, both at his daughter, and his colleague. He didn't think he'd ever heard Dawson greet Izzy by her name. "Izzy Ruzek" he'd said at the hospital, meeting the baby for the first time when she was barely 3 hours old. "That's a lot of Z's." The nickname had stuck.

"Are you okay man?" Antonio asked Adam, looking with concern at his colleague.

"Yeah" Adam replied, but he was distracted. He put his arm around Izzy's shoulder and she leaned into him, sticking her thumb in her mouth for comfort. "Let's go."

Antonio started the engine and turned the car around. Waved through the police cordon by a pair of uniform cops, he headed back to the district.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Oh no." Sergeant Platt saw Adam and Izzy approach the front desk, a pleading look on the detective's face. "I'm not a babysitting service, Ruzek."

Antonio patted him on the shoulder as he brushed past, in what Adam knew to be a good luck gesture. "I'll go check in with Mouse."

"Please Trudy." Calling her by her first name was a risk, it would either help him persuade her to do as he wished, or simply annoy her. She only scowled. Izzy meanwhile, had already scuttled around the side of the desk and dropped her backpack on the floor.

Platt turned back to Ruzek with one eyebrow raised, a stern look on her face. "You owe me" she said warningly, although, Adam noted, she didn't exactly put up much more of a fight. She sighed. "Ok kiddo" she said to Izzy, who was climbing up onto Platt's chair, a mock-serious look on her little face, "you gonna help me do the paperwork?"

"Thanks Serge" Ruzek said, high-fiving his daughter before jogging over to the stairs, eager to get on with his job knowing his girl was safe. "Be good Iz" he called. He buzzed through the security door and rushed up the stairs, taking two at a time.

Dawson was sitting behind his desk. When he saw Ruzek coming he put the cap back on his pen and stood up. "The families are in the break room with Lindsay. The kids have gone quiet again, I think you're the best person to talk to them, they seem to trust you."

Adam nodded. "Lead the way."

Sometime later, Adam leant against the wall in the hall and pulled out his cell phone. He dialled home and it rang twice before a familiar "hey" from the other end of the line instantly soothed him.

"Hey darling. How's your day going?"

"I'm ok, just doing some laundry."

Adam breathed deeply before saying what he didn't really want to say. "Kim, listen. Something went down at Izzy's school. She's fine!" he said abruptly, not wanting to panic his wife, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, absently kicking the wall behind him. "They closed the school and sent all the kids home. Izzy is currently playing Deputy Desk Sergeant downstairs."

Kim was quiet. "I'll come and pick her up." There was a note of apprehension in her voice.

"Thank you baby. I don't know how long I'll be stuck here, it could be a very long night. I know we had dinner planned but..."

Burgess cut him off. "Don't worry about it. Honestly. Do what you need to do. I'll be there soon."

"I love you."

"You too."

Adam stared at the screen of his phone for a second before he shoved it back in his pocket and got back to work.

* * *

Kim rubbed her hands together as she entered the building, shutting the door behind her to keep out the cold.

"Mommy!"

Kim smiled. "Hey! I hope you're not getting in the way up there."

"Nah, she's being a great help. " Platt looked up from the computer screen and winked at Izzy. "Who knew filing could be so much fun."

"Are we going home now?" Izzy asked her mother.

"Hang tight a minute Honey, I have some things to take care of upstairs." Izzy nodded. "Is that okay Sergeant Platt?"

"You bet."

Kim reached over the desk and planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead. She hoisted the strap of her purse onto her shoulder and walked slowly towards the mesh door up to intelligence. She took a deep breath and placed her palm on the scanner. It had been a couple of months since she'd last walked through this door. She wondered how long it would be before they revoked her access, but there was a familiar buzz as the door released and she pushed it open.

Adam saw her appear at the top of the stairs and got up without a word, walking over to where she stood. He wrapped both strong arms around her and hugged her tight. "I'm sorry" he said into her hair. "It's a difficult case, I didn't want to worry you but..."

Kim placed her hands on his chest and gently pushed him away enough so she could see his face. He didn't let go. "Don't be silly."

They were alone. The rest of the team were back at the crime scene, only Voight remained, they could see him through the glass wall of his office on the phone. He was holding his jacket in one hand, he looked in a hurry to leave again and head back to the school. Ruzek was to go with him, but wanted to wait to see Kim.

"I know you're not ready to be back here" he said, looking at Kim's face with intense concern.

"I'm fine, I promise. What happened?"

So Adam told her, and could feel her tensing in his arms. She nodded and looked at the floor. He kissed her again. "I've got to get back to the school. Will you be okay?"

Kim smiled. "Of course."

"I'll try not to wake you if I'm home late."

This time Kim reached up to kiss her husband. "No, I want you to wake me."

"I think Voight wants to see you. "

Kim turned around to see Voight beckoning to her through the window of his office. She took a deep breath but didn't say anything. Adam squeezed her hand. "I'll go and make sure Izzy's ready to leave."

Kim walked slowly towards Voight's office. She knocked once or twice on the door frame, but it was already open. She stepped in and closed it behind her.

"Burgess. How are you doing?" Voight beckoned to the chair opposite his own and she sat down.

"I'm getting by." Although she had, for all other purposes, changed her name to Ruzek the second they were married, it was just easier to keep her old name at work. Two Rusek's in the same department would have been confusing. She looked apprehensively at her boss, waiting for him to speak again.

"Are you still seeing the counsellor?"

"Yes. Listen Sergeant, I want to come back to work, I do. But until I can trust myself again I don't think I'll be very good at my job, I might even put the team in danger." Kim's voice rose and the words spilled out quickly.

"Burgess, stop. I understand. Your job will still be here when you're ready. I just wanted to check in, that's all."

"I really appreciate it."

"Is Adam looking after you?"

Kim smiled. "Absolutely."

"I'm keeping him in line here for you." Voight's gruff joking manner broke the tension somewhat. He stood up again, picking his jacket up off the desk. "Go, take Izzy home. I'll try not to keep your husband out too late."

He opened the door for Kim and followed her out into the empty office. Walking down the stairs, Kim paused and watched Adam crouch down to zip up Izzy's jacket and her heart skipped. These two, they were the reason she could go on, the reason she was trying to work through her anxieties and problems. For a moment she watched Adam struggle with the zipper before smiling to herself and jogging down the remaining stairs.

"Come here" she said, then glanced at Adam. "You're useless." She pulled Izzy's zipper the rest of the way up. Voight was already at the door and held it open as she led her daughter to the car. "I'll see you later" she said to Adam over her shoulder as she descended the steps. He blew her a kiss.

* * *

A Disney movie was playing on the TV, but Izzy was staring into space. Kim stroked her hair as they cuddled on the sofa and watched her daughter's face with concern. She had been her usual chatty, sassy self at the District and in the car on their way home, but as soon as they'd stepped through the door, she had been quiet and barely touched her dinner. Besides, it was most unlike her to not sing-a-long to The Little Mermaid.

Kim reached for the TV remote to pause the movie. Izzy didn't react. "Are you ok baby?" She brushed Izzy's hair from her eyes and pulled her onto her lap. Izzy shrugged and looked down at the floor. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Izzy fiddled with the cuff of her pajamas. "Will Daddy find Maria?"

Kim gave her daughter a sad smile. "I hope so. Daddy and the rest of the team will do their very best to find her." She didn't want to come right you and say 'yes', as much as that would comfort her daughter in the moment. Izzy had unshakable faith in her Father's superpowers and wanted to believe that her Daddy could make anything right, but Kim and Adam had made a pact long ago to never lie to their child, never make promises they couldn't keep. She wasn't about to break it now.

Izzy nodded, but said nothing. Only swivelled around on Kim's lap and buried her face in her sweater, the way she used to when she was a baby. Kim wrapped her arms tight around her and gave her a squeeze.

After a while, Izzy stirred. "Mommy?"

"Yes baby?"

"They will find her."

Even with her voice muffled, Izzy sounded so sure. Kim rubber her back and kissed the top of her head. "They'll find her" she repeated. What she didn't say was whether the child would still be alive when they did.

A little while later, after Izzy had nodded off in her arms and she had carried her to bed, Kim returned to the sofa with a glass of wine, but she had only taken a sip and was now just staring at the almost-full glass where it sat on the coffee table.

She handed even been there today but this case, any case involving a child got under her skin. It was true, the moment she had become a mother these types of cases grew harder to deal with but he knew that wasn't the only reason. She'd been going to counselling ever since the incident, and sometimes Kim really thought she was making progress, moving toward that place where she would forgive herself and truly move on with her life, then something like this happened and it shook her.

She felt weary and closed her eyes, but she must have nodded off because the next thing she was aware of was Adam's key turning in the lock. She caught sight of the clock on the mantel, it was almost 11:30. Turning her head from her spot on the sofa, she saw him put his keys on the window ledge by the front door and sling his leather jacket over the banister.

He smiled when he saw she was awake and wordlessly slid next to her on the sofa, planting a kiss on her lips.

"I could use some of this." He picked up Kim's wine glass and took a long gulp of the crimson liquid.

"Help yourself" Kim said, placing her hand affectionately on his lower back as he leant forward to replace the glass. "How's the case going?"

Adam looked at his wife with concern and looped his arm around her shoulders. Kim snuggled into him, curling her legs onto the sofa. "We don't have to talk about it, I know it's hard for you."

"No, baby..." Kim paused. "I don't want you to feel like you can't talk about work to me. It's got to be a difficult case for anyone and if you need to talk about it, I'll listen. I'm our wife, it's my job."

"We've got a few leads" Adam said after a pause. "It look like the little girl's brother might have an affiliation with a gang, the team are following it up. But I needed to come home. I needed to see my girls." He hugged her tighter. "How's Iz?"

Kim sighed. "Okay I think. She's been very quiet. We should talk to her in the morning."

"I'll go check on her in a while. But first I need my own glass of that wine." Adam heaved himself off the sofa and disappeared into the kitchen. Kim heard him open the cabinet and he returned a moment later balancing the half empty bottle, a fresh wine glass and a box of cereal.

Kim raised an eyebrow and suppressed a laugh. "Really?"

"What? Cabernet Sauvignon goes great with Cherrios." He winked at her and fell back on the sofa. "I'm starving and it's too late for takeout."

"I can make you some pasta."

Adam stuffed a handful of cereal into his mouth before pouring his glass of wine. "I'm good."

Kim rolled her eyes and reached for her own glass. After pouring the wine she wasn't sure she wanted it, but now she realised she just didn't want to drink alone.

"How was it being at the District today?" Adam asked finally, breaking the comfortable silence that existed between them as they settled back on the sofa, their bodies touching.

Kim took a deep breath. "It was hard, but I did it. It's nice to know I can, you know? I'll be back at work soon, I'm trying really hard to work through it."

"I know you are." Adam kissed the top of her head. "I'm proud of you."

"Hey, what time do you need to go in tomorrow?"

"Early. I should get to bed soon. This wine probably isn't the best idea."

Kim smirked. "Since when has that ever stopped you?"

"Touché." Adam raised his glass mockingly."Hey, I'm going to check on Izzy. I'll be right back."

Upstairs, he gently pushed open the door to his daughter's room being careful not to make a sound. Adam's eyes adjusted to the dim light and he saw that Izzy was buried deep under her covers. Her flashlight shone through the fabric bathing the room in a soft yellow light. He was about to open his mouth to tell her to turn it off and go to sleep, when he heard her murmur something and stopped himself.

"I saw the bad men." Izzy's quiet little voice made Adam freeze. He could see her silhouette through the bedspread, she was hunched over whispering in the ear of her teddy bear. "I think they saw me too. But I wasn't supposed to be behind the trees. Don't tell anyone or I'll be in trouble ok?"

A wave of nausea washed over Adam and he stood rooted to the spot in the doorway. Izzy was a witness to the kidnapping of Maria Robinson. The fact hit him like a truck as he realised the potential danger his baby girl was in. His mind raced. As he took out his cellphone to call Voight, he heard Izzy speak again.

"Don't tell my Daddy or Mommy. It's a secret."

Her flashlight clicked off and Adam was left in darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi guys. I'm sorry it's been SO LONG since I updated this story. I hope this chapter makes up for the wait. And if you're new to the story, I hope you enjoy it. I miss Buzek, and now Adam's AWOL too I needed some way to fill the void. I hope to continue this fic but I can't promise regular updates. I hope you stick with me anyway. :)_

 **Chapter 3**

Kim walked into the kitchen bleary eyed with her robe wrapped tightly around her body. "What time is it?" She asked Adam's back as he reached into a high cabinet. "You should have woken me, Izzy will be late for school."

Kim walked over to her daughter who was seated at the kitchen table and stroked her hair. Izzy swallowed her milk and grinned up at her mother. "Daddy said I didn't have to go today."

"Oh, did he?" Kim raised her eyebrow. Adam couldn't see, he was leaning over the counter buttering some toast but Kim knew he sensed it. He sheepishly turned around.

"You know, there will be police all over the school today, it will be weird for the kids. I would just feel more comfortable if she wasn't there to see it." Adam hoped he was doing a good enough job of convincing his wife that was the real reason, he didn't want to scare her before he knew all the facts. "I'll take her to work, you don't have to worry about it."

"There are police there too you know..." Kim smirked sarcastically.

"You're funny" Adam said with an equal amount of sarcasm. He walked over to join his family at the table, placing a large mug of black coffee in front of Kim and two slices of toast, complete with strawberry jam smiley faces, in front of Izzy. He kissed the top of Kim's head by way of a good morning greeting and sat down.

"Fine. But I can look after her if you want her to stay home today."

"You have counselling this morning" Adam said in a hushed voice. He looked over at Izzy. The girl was fixated on her breakfast and completely oblivious to the adults' conversation. "You shouldn't miss it."

Kim sighed. "I won't. I can come and pick her up afterwards."

"Nah, it's cool" Adam replied in what he hoped was a nonchalant way. He raised his voice again. "You like coming to work with Daddy, don't you Sweetpea?" Izzy nodded enthusiastically, crumbs falling from her mouth. "See? Anyway, don't you have lunch plans?"

Kim studied him. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Everything's fine darlin'. Trust me."

* * *

"Erin! Daddy bought me a new colouring book. I did two pages already, do you wanna see?" Izzy let go of Adam's hand and pelted across the office to Lindsay's desk.

Antonio waved a greeting to Adam as he walked past, his desk phone cradled between his shoulder and his ear while he jotted notes on a piece of paper

"You bet" Lindsay replied, closing the case file, thankful for the distraction. Izzy put her backpack on the floor and opened the zip, pulling out the book and her sparkly pencil case. Lindsay watched her for a second before looking up and catching Adam's eye. He looked nervous, distracted.

"Are you okay? Can I help with something?"

Adam appeared to think for a second, watching his daughter where she sat on the floor, her head buried in her bag. "I need to talk to Dawson. Can you...?" He trailed off, then looked at Erin pleadingly.

Lindsay gave a faint nod before brightening and addressing Izzy with all the enthusiasm she could muster at this time of the day. "Hey Iz, why don't we go into the kitchen and you can show me there?" Izzy gathered up her things and lead the way across the office. Erin looked back at Adam over her shoulder as she followed the little girl and gave him a questioning but concerned look. Adam nodded a thank you and went back to pacing.

Adam was glad it was Antonio he ran into. He was a father too, and he cared about Izzy. He knew this investigation would be hard on him and would bring back painful memories of the day Diego was kidnapped, and Adam hated to add to his burden but this was too important. His little girl could be in danger and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do to keep her safe.

"You okay man?" Antonio's face was etched with concern. He stood up and walked to Adam, who was biting nervously on his thumb, watching Erin and Izzy retreat into the kitchen. When the door was firmly shut, he turned to the older detective.

"No." He answered Dawson's question bluntly. "I'm really worried. I overheard Izzy last night…" Adam trailed off, losing the words, or getting lost in his thoughts, but something pulled him back and made him focus. "She said she saw the men who took Maria Robinson from the school yesterday. She didn't tell me, she was talking to her stuffed animals. I'm scared Antonio, what if they saw her? She could be in serious danger, and if they find out she's the daughter of two cops, who knows what might happen."

The pitch and volume of Adam's voice rose with every word, but Dawson stepped in front of him and placed both his hands firmly on Adam's shoulders to calm him. It had the desired effect, but his eyes still darted around the room nervously as if looking for danger.

"Hey." Dawson said, and Adam looked up. "We'll deal with it, okay? It's good you told me." If Antonio was shocked by Adam's admission, he hid it well. "She's safe here, nothing will happen to her here. Voight and Halstead are out now canvassing the neighbourhood for any information or sightings of the vehicle leaving the scene. With any luck we'll find the guys responsible and the girl and it will all be over."

Adam nodded, but he was far from convinces and Tonio wasn't fooled. "I don't know what to do, I'm going crazy."

"Have you told Kim?"

Adam shook his head. "No. She has enough to worry about today. She's meeting her councillor, and the hearing is coming up. Like you said, this could all be over today. I don't want to panic her for no reason."

"I'll get onto Voight" Dawson's said, springing into action. "Sit tight okay?"

"Do you need me? I just want to be with Izzy, I don't want to let her out of my sight."

Antonio knew that feeling and he clapped Adam on the shoulder before turning back to his desk to make the call. "Of course, man. We've got it covered, don't worry."

* * *

Kim rang the doorbell and stood on the porch, listening for footsteps inside the house. A minute later the door swung inwards and she was greeted with a familiar bashful grin and open arms. A brief but sincere hug later and she was inside in the warmth pulling off her boots.

Al's house felt warm and cosy, despite the sparse furniture and minimal decoration. Like his décor, his opening question was straight to the point. Even in retirement, he was no nonsense and straight talking, although he was visibly more relaxed and genuinely seemed happier than Kim had ever seen him when they were colleagues. Kim shrugged off her coat and hung it on the end of the bannister before following him into the kitchen.

"It was alright" Kim replied truthfully. "I was pretty sceptical before I started, but Adam insisted I stick at it and I have to say it is helping a bit."

"How's that kid of yours?"

"Izzy's as much of a handful as ever. She's really loving school, although what happened yesterday has shaken her a bit."

Olinsky lifted two coffee mugs down from the cupboard and turned to look at her with a sympathetic smile. "Hank told me about that, it's rough." Kim was not surprised that Al was aware of the team's current investigation, once in intelligence you never stop thinking that way and wanting to know all that is going on.

"Yeah, Adam's taken it pretty hard too. He took Izzy to work today, I don't think he wants to leave her alone." Kim paused, thinking for a second about the two most important people in her life and the pain they were feeling at the moment, but remembering the words her councillor spoke to her not half an hour ago, she decided not to dwell and changed topics. "How are your family?"

Al immediately brightened. "Simon just turned one" he said, referring to his daughter Michelle's little boy and his first grandchild. "And Lexi's deep into planning her wedding. She's insisting on taking me suit shopping at the weekend."

"It's back on then?"

Kim knew from her visits all about Al's family drama. It was a nice distraction from her own. She had talked more to Al and learned more about him in the last few months than she ever did in the years they worked side by side.

"Yes" Al replied. "She called it a 'blip' the last time we spoke. Whatever problems her and Dalton are having, she doesn't want to tell her old man. She's probably afraid how I'll react. She's talking to her mother though, that's something."

Al filled the coffee machine and turned it on. They both stood in comfortable silence waiting for it to brew. It was nice, the calm. There was not a lot of that to be found these days. "Listen, how are you really?" Kim opened her mouth to answer, but Al fixed her with his gentle dark eyes and pre-empted what she was about to say, stopping her before the words left her mouth. "I don't mean about Adam or Izzy, I mean you."

Kim knew exactly what he meant. With the hearing getting nearer and nearer and the prospect of confronting what had happened to lead her becoming ever more real, she had been doing her best to repress her feelings for fear they would overwhelm her. Concentrating on her husband and daughter had been her distraction, but she knew that if she was ever going to get through this and get back to work, she was going to have to confront what happened.

"You know" she shrugged, trying to make light of the conversation, "I'm coping."

Olinsky wasn't fooled. "I don't buy it" he said, in his calm but strict manner. "I know how something like that can affect cops, it's important you talk about it."

Kim was silent for a minute, emotions bubbled to the surface but she pushed them down before they could escape. "I still think about it every day" she replied finally, truthfully. "But whatever I'm feeling is nothing compared to that poor boy's family so I just need to suck it up and deal with whatever's coming my way."

"It wasn't your fault" Al said. "Any decent judge will see that."

"I know" Kim said, though she didn't completely believe it. "But we will have to see what happens."

* * *

In the corridor outside the break room, Erin listened to Antonio as he passed along all the information that Adam had given him only moments before. Erin watched Izzy and Adam as they sat at the table colouring, Izzy taking time to carefully choose just the right colour for her picture. She watched the little girl chatter away happily to her Daddy.

Antonio finished the briefing and let out a sigh. "How should we play this?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. "I know Adam wants to be there when we talk to Iz, but I don't think that's the best option. She's scared of getting in trouble, I think she'll say more if he wasn't there."

Erin nodded, but concern was etched across her face, for Adam as well as Izzy. She wasn't a parent herself, she could only imagine the worry he was feeling. "I'll talk to her" she said, without turning around.

"Should we both be there?"

Erin looked at him. "We don't want to frighten her. Let me give it a try, ok?"

Erin opened the door and immediately fixed a smile on her face, she hoped it effectively masked her worry from the little girl. "Hey, how's your picture coming along?"

Adam and Izzy both looked up as she approached the table. Izzy was thrilled to see her colouring partner again. Adam just looked scared. Antonio held the door open and gestured for Adam to step out. He shook his head but Antonio's posture told him he wasn't going to take no for an answer, so eventually Adam reluctantly agreed.

"Hey baby" he said to Izzy, stoking her hair "I've got to do some work, will you be ok with Erin?"

"Yes Daddy" she said brightly, but didn't look up from her page. Adam's hand lingered on her soft fair hair for a second longer before he stood up and walked out of the room.

When the door was closed, Adam slumped against the wall, his movements were jittery and his voice was tense. "Come on man" he said. "I should be in there."

Antonio put his hand on Ruzek's shoulder and gently coaxed him away from the window. "I don't think that's a good idea right now" he said, gently but firmly. "You're a wreck, you'll scare her. She's with Erin, she's in great hands. We're all here to make sure Izzy's ok. We all love her."

"But I'm her father" Adam protested weakly.

"I know" Antonio said, leading him into the main office. He looked back over his shoulder towards the room. "I know."

* * *

"Where's the orange?" Izzy asked, looking through the coloured pencils strewn across the table. "I want to colour the cat picture and I need the orange. My friend Tiffany just got a kitten and it's orange. With stripes!"

Erin smiled down at the little girl in her care, knowing how much was riding on this moment. She had worked with both her parents for years, she had watched Izzy grow up. The whole unit cared about this kid and her wellbeing and she didn't want to screw anything up. "I bet the kitten's super cute" she said, trying to match Izzy's enthusiasm. Erin took a breath, tentatively asking her next question. "Was Tiffany playing with you at school yesterday?"

She watched Izzy's shoulder's slump. She leant further over her colouring book and concentrated really hard on colouring the cat's tail. "Yeah" she said quietly. The usually talkative child was reluctant to say more, Lindsay knew she was on to something but had to step carefully.

"What games do you like to play at school?"

Izzy was a smart kid, she knew why Erin was asking. "We were playing catch with Emma and Lucy" she said timidly. Her pencil stopped and she held it poised in the hair, her gaze fixed on the table. "We lost the ball. They said I had to go get it cos I threw it." She stopped. Erin rubber her back gently, reassuringly.

"It's ok, you can tell me."

"I know we're not supposed to go behind the trees, I didn't want to get in trouble but I had to get the ball." Izzy's little voice was choked with emotion. "I don't want to get in trouble" she said again.

"You're not in any trouble" Lindsay said, doing her best to soothe her.

"That big girl was there too. There were men the other side of the fence, they were talking to her but she looked scared. I couldn't hear what they were saying. Then I got scared too. I hid."

Erin gently spoke "Did you see the men?" Izzy nodded, but didn't speak. "It's alright" she said, after a moment. "What did the men look like."

"They were black" Izzy finally said, slowly. Erin smiled sadly down at this sensitive little girl who tried so hard to be nice to everyone and not upset anyone, even at this young age she had a sense that she might be saying the wrong thing. "One of them was really tall."

"That's good. What were they wearing?"

"Black clothes. Just normal clothes. The tall man had a hat on."

"What about the car?" Erin prompted.

Izzy shrugged, and let her hands fall to her lap, dejected. "It was blue. I don't know kinds of cars. I'm sorry."

Erin's heat broke. She scooted her chair a little closer to Izzy's and wrapped her arm fully around the little girl's shoulders. "Don't be sorry, you're being so brave. Can you tell me what happened next?"

"They took her" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The tall man grabbed Maria and pulled her up over the fence. He put his hand on her mouth. She couldn't scream." Izzy started crying.

Erin wanted to finish, to stop Izzy from getting more upset, but she had one more vital question she needed to ask. "Did the men see you?" She asked, but didn't want to hear the answer.

"They looked at where I was hiding" she said. "I don't know if they saw me."

* * *

Adam sat in his desk chair, Izzy clinging to him like a koala bear, her face buried deep in his shirt. He was not comfortable, but he didn't care. He didn't dare stand up for fear of waking his sleeping daughter.

Izzy had been withdrawn after she'd finished talking to Erin, it was only after she had fallen asleep from crying that Adam learnt what she had said. That was an hour ago and he hadn't let go of Izzy since.

In Voight's office Antonio paced, speaking into his cell phone, and Erin perched on the edge of the desk, her arms folded across her chest. The buzzer sounded on the door downstairs and Adam sat up a little straighter, preparing for Voight and Halstead and Atwater to come bounding up the stairs loudly and wake Izzy, but instead he saw Kim appear and his heart sank.

The moment Kim entered the office, she knew something was wrong. Adam stroked the still sleeping Izzy's hair and put his fingers to his lips. Burgess rushed to him, worry and panic spread on her face and crouched down beside his chair.

"What's going on Adam?" she asked.

Adam swivelled his chair to face her and took her hand. "Izzy's fine" he said, "don't worry." He hoped that would alleviate some of his wife's concern but knew that it was futile. Telling a mother not to worry will only ever have the opposite effect. "There's something I have to tell you though."

The last thing Adam wanted to do was add to Kim's worry, she had so much going on in her life already, but he couldn't keep this from her. She deserved to know. So he told her everything that he knew, what he had overheard the night before, and everything Izzy had said to Erin. Kim breathed in sharply, instinctively embracing her daughter, protecting her. Adam wrapped his free arm around Kim's shoulders and hugged both his girls tight. He didn't want to let either of them go.


	4. Chapter 4

_Welcome to next instalment. I hope you enjoy it. If you do (or even if you don't!) feedback is always appreciated._

 **Chapter 4**

It was around 4 o'clock in the afternoon and Adam and Kim sat bundled up in coats and scarves on a bench at the edge of the playground, watching Izzy scramble over the climbing frame.

Adam's arm rested on Kim's shoulders and she leaned into him, as much for comfort as for warmth. She felt drained, the emotions of the day had caught up with her and she had been quiet ever since they had driven to the park. She wiped her eyes with the back of a gloved hand. Adam kissed the top of her head.

"How did your counselling go?"

Kim shifted her weight uncomfortably. "It doesn't matter, I don't want to talk about it."

Adam unfurled his arm from where it lay and turned to face her. "It does matter. C'mon, I want to hear about it."

"Adam, Izzy's the only thing that's important right now."

Adam glanced at their daughter, catching sight of her as she slid feet first down the slide. She was her usual bubbly self, her earlier conversation with Lindsay seemingly forgotten the moment she woke up on Adam's lap at the station. "Look at her" he said to Kim, nodding in Izzy's direction, "she doesn't have a care in the world right now, she's fine." He looked him straight in the eyes. "Whatever will happen in the next couple of days will happen, and we will be there for her. I think getting whatever it is off your chest will help you concentrate on Iz."

Kim knew from experience that avoidance in situations like this was futile. Adam had a way of getting her to open up. One look in his caring, sincere eyes and she was ready to spill her heart out. "It was fine. It's just with the hearing coming up, everything's getting more real. I keep reliving that day over and over, thinking what I could have done differently." Adam opened his mouth to object, to tell her for the hundredth time that it wasn't her fault but she placed a finger to his lips to silence him. "I know, everyone keeps telling me it wasn't my fault, and I am starting to believe them, I really am. But I can't help it, if I had done even the tiniest thing differently that boy might still be alive."

"Darlin'" Adam began, but got no further. Kim pulled him closer and hid her face in his shoulder.

"Our baby's in danger Adam" she said, her voice strained and her breathing heavy. "I feel sick."

Adam choked down his own emotions. He had to stay strong for his family. "Listen to me. Every cop in the city is out looking for Maria Robinson and the guys that took her. They will find them and it will all be over."

"But what if…"

"Shhh, stop. We'll take care of her."

"Mommy!" Izzy bounded up to her parents and skidded to halt in front of the bench, completely oblivious to the intense conversation she had interrupted.

Kim hastily dried her eyes and plastered a grin on her face. "What's up baby girl?"

"Will you push me on the swing please?"

"Sure." Kim mustered all the enthusiasm she could find and stood up, giving Adam's hand one last squeeze. She followed her excitable daughter over to the swing set and stood by as she clambered onto the swing.

As she pushed Izzy, the little girl calling to go higher and higher, she looked back to Adam with a sad look on her face. Now he was alone, she could see his shoulders sag and his head bow, even from this distance. He looked as anxious and concerned as she felt inside. She wanted to tell him that he didn't need to hide his emotions for her sake, that he didn't always need to be the strong one.

She watched her husband take out his cell phone. She knew he was calling Voight, or Antonio. He wouldn't be able to rest until these men were caught and he wouldn't be able to sit around while others did the catching. Six months ago she probably would have felt the same way, but all she was feeling right now was worry for her family and a desire not to leave Izzy's side.

"Mommy." Kim became aware that her daughter was talking to her and blinked. "Mommy, I lost my boot."

Kim brought the swing to a stop and walked around to face her. The little girl raised her left boot-less foot and pointed to the ground where her red wellington lay on the asphalt.

"Whoops" Kim said, bending to retrieve it. "You're so good at kicking on the swing your shoe came off. I don't think you need me to push you at all."

Izzy giggled. "I like you pushing me."

Kim replaced Izzy's boot on her foot and helped her hop off the swing. At that moment, Adam walked up behind them.

"Did you see how high I went Daddy?" Izzy asked, a big grin on her face. Adam mirrored her smile.

"I saw" he said, sounding genuinely enthusiastic whether he was feeling it or not. "Way to go. Go and collect your things sweetie, it's time to go home."

Izzy raced off toward the bend to get her backpack. Adam turned to Kim. "I'm taking you both home" he said, lowering his voice so that Izzy wouldn't hear. "Patrol are already at our building, officers are going to watch the house until this is over, you'll be safe."

Kim nodded. "You're not staying with us?" Kim already knew the answer to that question, and she knew why.

A pained expression crossed Adam's face. "I'm sorry. But I can't sit around. The team need all the help they can get." He paused. "But if you want me to stay I can."

Kim smiled and brushed his cheek. "No, you should go. Really. Go and find Maria."

* * *

"This is Trent Robinson, 17. Older brother of the missing girl." Attwater slapped a photo of the teen on the white board and turned back towards his team. Voight sat on the edge of a desk, his arms folded. Erin and Antonio stood off to the side, stacks of files in their arms and Jay was behind his desk, his hands poised above his keyboard.

"Does he have a record?" Erin asked.

"Yeah, but nothing serious. Vandalism, attempted theft of a vehicle, the usual things. But word on the street is some of his associates are gang members. I have a C.I. trying to get me names."

Voight stood up and unfolded his arms. "Maybe Trent owed someone money or pissed them off another way. Perhaps this is their way to get his attention. Follow it up." He turned to Halstead. "Any idea where Trent Robinson is now?"

Jay looked at his screen. "There's CCTV footage of him leaving his college yesterday morning, right around the time Mr and Mrs Robinson told us they called him to let him know what had happened. He said he'd meet them here but he never showed up and no one's heard from him since. We're trying to access other cameras in the area to figure out where he went."

"I'll talk to the parents again, see what they can tell us about their son. Get to work." He nodded to Antonio and the two of them turned to walk to the room where the distraught parents were waiting for news. They had been at the station when Voight arrived looking like they hadn't slept a wink. Voight couldn't blame them. They were not going anywhere until their daughter was found. Voight hoped that would be sooner rather than later.

"Hey." Adam appeared at the top of the stairs and Erin greeted him with confusion. "I thought you were off for the rest of the day."

"I want to help" Adam said, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it onto his desk. "Where are we at?"

Erin put down the files she was holding and walked towards him. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, what can I do?"

Erin hesitated. "How's Izzy? How's Kim?"

Adam exhaled, worry creeping across his face for the first time. "Izzy's great. It's like this morning never happened. Kim… She's worried of course. I took them home, Roman and Blake are staying there for now. I couldn't stay, I was going crazy. Can you bring me up to speed?"

* * *

"Do you have any idea where Trent could be?" Antonio asked the visibly distraught parents, not for the first time. Mrs Robinson had her face buried in her husband's shoulder and her body shook with silent sobs.

"For the tenth time, no." Mr Robinson sounded exasperated. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude. I just don't know where either of my kids are."

Antonio smiled a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, but we have to ask, do you know if Trent has any gang affiliation?"

Mrs Robinson's head snapped up. "No way. My son's a good boy, he'd never get caught up in a gang."

Behind Antonio, Voight exhaled but did his best to keep his feelings to himself. 'That's what all parents say' he thought. One thing he had learned over the years, from personal experience as well as professional, was that a lot of times parents didn't know their kids at all. Especially if those kids were teenagers.

Antonio continued. "Is there anyone who might be angry with Trent? Have you seen or heared him arguing with anyone recently?"

Mrs Robinson shook her head emphatically but Mr Robinson paused, staring at a spot on the wall. "I heard him yelling on his cell a couple of days ago" he said. "Him and his girlfriend are always having problems, I didn't think much of it at the time. I yelled at him up the stairs to keep it down because I was trying to work. But it might not have been her. He yelled something about someone lying to him, that's why I thought it was."

Antonio jotted something down in his notepad. "Do you know the girlfriend's name?"

* * *

"Holly Cook?" Jay asked the question of the blonde teenage girl in sweatpants who opened the door.

She looked hesitant. "Who's asking?"

He and Erin both held up their badges by way of answering. "I need to ask you about Trent Robinson."

Holly rolled her eyes. "What's he done now?"

"That's what we'd like to find out" Erin said, climbing the porch steps to stand beside Jay. "Can we come in?"

Holly sighed but stepped aside to let them pass, then led them along the hallway to the kitchen.

"Are your parents here?" Jay asked, looking around, trying to get an idea of who the girl they were questioning was.

"My Mom went to the store about 10 minutes ago, she won't be back for a while. So, what did Trent do?"

"His sister is missing" said Erin, "she was kidnapped from her school playground."

Holly spun around. "Maria? Oh my god. I saw on the news a girl was taken from her elementary school. That was Maria?!" Both cops silently nodded. Holly sat down on a stool at the breakfast bar and shook her head. "She's a sweet kid" she said finally, "unlike her dumbass brother."

Jay flipped open his note pad and took a seat on a stool the other side of the counter. "You haven't seen him then?"

"Nope. We broke up about 2 weeks ago now. I haven't seen or spoken to him since."

"What happened?"

"I'd had enough" she said simply, fixing Jay with a meaningful look. "These past three months, he had changed. He used to be really sweet you know? Thoughtful. But he started hanging with this new crowd, getting in trouble, blowing me off to hang with them. I finally told him to choose. He chose them so I told him where to go."

"Do you know the names of any of these friends?"

Holly shook her head. "Not full names, I didn't really want anything to do with them. I think the main guy was called Lee."

"Do you know if Trent was having problems with them recently?"

The girl shrugged. "Like I said, I've not had contact with him for weeks."

Back in the car, Erin rubbed her hands together to keep warm while they waited for the car's heating to kick in. Jay climbed into the passenger seat beside her and did the same.

"Oh man" he said. "This is taking too long. There must be someone in this city who knows where this kid ran off to."

Erin stared out the window back towards Holly Cook's house. "We'll find them" she said, though she didn't believe it.

"Hey" Jay said, and she turned to face him. "Are you ok? It can't have been easy interviewing Izzy like that. It's never easy when it's a child, especially one that you know." He gave her a sad smile. Even though their relationship had come to an end a long time ago, they had never stopped caring for one another. They would always be partners, would always have a connection, nothing would change that. This whole case was difficult for the whole team now that Izzy was involved, they had to look out for one another even more than usual.

"It was hard" Erin admitted, "but I'm alright. Listen, after we call this information in to Voight, do you mind if we make a quick stop on our way back to the station?"

* * *

Izzy lay on her belly on the living room rug, diligently completing another page of the colouring book Adam had bought her that morning to distract her. She sat at the kitchen table watching her daughter through the arch way separating the two rooms. She cradled a cup of tea in her hands but wasn't drinking it. Across the table, Sean watched her, trying to figure out what he could say to his old partner to ease her worry.

"Kayson and Riggs are going to relieve us in a couple of hours" he said, doing his best to sound confident and optimistic. "There will be a patrol car outside all night."

Kim looked at him. "Are you supposed to be outside right now?"

The expression on Sean's face told her that yes, he was. "Dale will call up if he spots anything unusual. I didn't want to leave you alone" he said. "I'm worried about you."

"You don't need to be."

"How was counselling this morning?"

Kim sighed. "I wish people would stop asking me that" she said, and then "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's alright." Sean placed his hand on Kim's. "Say whatever you want, I don't mind."

Kim nodded, but she preferred not to say anything at all. "I'm too exhausted to talk. Can we just sit?"

Sean's radio crackled to life before he could answer. "Roman, you should get out here." His brow furrowed as he pressed the button on the receiver to talk back to his partner outside in the car.

"What is it?"

"I spotted someone down the street. It could be nothing but we should check it out."

Sean stood up from the table and rushed towards the apartment door, turning back to reassure Kim over his shoulder. "Sit tight" he said, "we got this."

Outside, his partner Dale Blake was on the sidewalk to greet him as he stepped out into the fading evening light. He was on high alert, torch in one hand and weapon in the other. "What did you see?" asked Sean, looking up and down the street.

"I don't know exactly. There was a figure in a dark jacket. It was shorter, looked like a girl." He shone his torch down the street a little way to an alley between two buildings. "She ducked in there when she spotted the car. Come on."

* * *

"Look!" Izzy held the colouring book open on a page depicting a farmyard scene, complete with purple cows and a pink tractor with stars on it.

"That's lovely" Kim said, pushing her still full mug to one side and lifting Izzy onto her lap.

"Can I show uncle Sean?"

"He had to step out" Kim said, trying to keep the worry out of her voice. "He'll be back."

Izzy put her book on the table and swivelled around in Kim's lap. "When's Daddy coming back?"

"I don't know sweetie" Kim replied. "He's at work."

Izzy went suddenly quiet, her mood changing from bright to downcast in a matter of seconds. "Is he still looking for the big girl from school?"

The look of sadness on her daughter's face caused a tightness to grab hold of her chest. "Yes" she said simply and gave Izzy a hug.

There was yelling outside the window and Kim immediately tensed. Izzy heard it too and looked at her mother for reassurance. Kim lifted Izzy to the floor and stood up, going to the window overlooking the street. Izzy trailed behind her, her thumb going to her mouth like it did whenever she was apprehensive about something. Kim kept a hand on her daughter's head for comfort as she peeked through the blinds to the street below.

* * *

"Will you let me go?" The girl whose arms officer Blake held behind her back struggled against his grip. "I wasn't doing anything."

"Oh yeah?" Roman asked, disbelievingly, shining a torch on her face.

The girl blinked against the light. "Cut it out" she said, "It's not even that dark."

"I'm waiting" said Roman.

"I was…" she trailed off. What she was doing was watching Kim's building, but saying that to these two cops would not be a good idea for anyone. "Why are you sitting across the street in a patrol car anyway?" Now she was just being nosy.

The front door of the building slammed and Kim stood on the top step with her arms wrapped around herself to keep out the cold. She made eye contact with the girl and fixed her with a glare. "Keisha. How did you find me?"

Dale relaxed his grip and Keisha struggled free. "You know this girl?"

Kim ignored him and strode down the steps. "You shouldn't be here, my lawyers said I shouldn't speak to anybody." She caught Sean's confused look out of the corner of her eye but didn't take her eyes off the girl.

"Why is there a cop car outside your house?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter" Kim said dismissively. "It has nothing to do with you or your family. What do you want?"

Keisha's body language immediately changed, the streetwise mask she had so far been wearing slipped away. She stared at her shoes and didn't way a word.

Kim took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I can't deal with this right now" she said, just as much to herself as the teenage girl in front of her. Kim opened her eyes, a hard expression crossed her face, but her eyes betrayer her. Tears threatened to fall. "I can't talk to you. Whatever you and your family have to say to me, you can say it at the hearing."

"I wanted to say I'm sorry."


	5. Chapter 5

_Until Adam reappears on the show, fic will have to fill the void. I hope you enjoy the next instalment. Constructive feedback always welcome._

 **Chapter 5**

Keisha stood with her arms by her side and a vulnerable sad expression on her face. She was waiting for Kim to yell at her, or turn around and walk back into the building, but she just stood there staring. The other two cops stood either side of her, they didn't say a word either.

Realisation slowly dawned on Roman's face. He turned to his former partner, "Do you want me to get her out of here?"

"Please go inside and check on Izzy."

He nodded, but reluctantly, and headed indoors. Kim looked at Dale and he retreated down the sidewalk a bit, out of earshot but still on high alert.

When the two men had gone, Keisha spoke again. "I hate it" she said. "I hate all of this. I just want it to be over."

Kim's face remained passive, but inside she waivered. That's all she wanted too.

Keisha tucked a stray braid behind her ear and once again stared down at her sneakers. "My parents are hurting, we're all hurting, but this trial or whatever isn't helping anyone."

Kim's resolved faltered. "It's out of both of our hands, the department…" She trailed off.

"I don't know about any of that" the teenager said, "but I do know it won't bring Ben back."

At the sound of the boy's name the tear that was hovering in the corner of Kim's eye slid down her cheek and she turned away.

"I'll go" Keisha said, "but I just wanted you to know. I miss my brother every day, but I don't blame you for what happened, whatever my parents say. You helped me when I needed it, I want to help you."

"You should be with your family" Kim said. She wanted nothing more than to be with hers. "I appreciate what you said, Keisha, but you can't worry about me."

* * *

Adam slammed his hands down on the desk. Spending hours starting at CCTV footage was not what he had in mind when he said he wanted to help, but Adam suspected Voight wanted to keep him out of the field, probably scared of what he might do. The only loose cannon Voight liked in his team was himself. The sergeant was in his office on the phone. The blinds were closed.

Kevin looked up from his own screen at the noise. "Hey man, why don't you take a break?" he glanced at the clock. "Or just go home, me and Mouse have got this. Go be with Kim and Izzy."

Adam sighed. He wanted nothing more, but he felt compelled to stay, to keep on working to find Maria and in turn keep his own little girl safe. "I'll be fine" Adam said, and stretched his arms out with a groan.

But ten minutes later, after ten minutes more of useless traffic cam footage, Adam was ready to snap. He felt useless, this wasn't helping anyone. He paused the video and glared at the screen for a moment, then suddenly swept the papers off his desk in frustration. "Goddammit" he exclaimed, pushing his chair away and standing up. The pages fluttered to the floor and he put his face in his hands.

Voight's door swung open. "Ruzek" he said, in the stern voice he used when he meant business. "We're going for a drive."

Voight walked across the office towards the stairs, his coat in one hand. He didn't even look back to check that Adam was following. Adam and Kevin exchanged a glance, Kevin raised one eyebrow and shrugged as Adam picked up his own jacket and followed his boss out of the office.

* * *

Erin tapped lightly on the door of Kim and Adam's apartment. If Izzy was sleeping she didn't want to wake her, the little girl had had a long and difficult day. To Erin and Jay's surprise it was Sean who opened the door. They could see past him into the living room to Kim sitting on the sofa, looking emotionally drained. Izzy was asleep on her mother's front, her little arms wrapped around Kim's neck. Kim had her own arms tight around Izzy and she stroked her daughter's hair. Roman closed the door and followed them into the apartment.

"Hey." Erin offered a subdued smile as she walked further into the room. Kim looked up and responded with her own sad smile but her mind seemed far away. "We came to see how you were doing."

Burgess sighed. "Keisha Lawrence showed up."

Erin and Jay exchanged a look. Jay sat down on the arm of the Sofa and leant forward with concern. "What?"

"It was fine" Kim said. "She wanted to apologise to me. I know" she continued at the disbelieving looks that crossed both Jay and Erin's faces. "I'm the one that should be apologising to her, not the other way around."

Erin sat down next to her colleague and paid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry that you're going through all this at once" she said. "I can't imagine how tough all this is for you."

Kim sniffed and wiped a tear from her cheek. "It's too much. I can't even think about the hearing right now, all I can think about is Izzy. But then Keisha came along and…" She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't have to. She took a deep breath. "Keisha's a great kid" she said. "Full of compassion you know? I saw it in her the first time I picked her up after that fight. That's why I helped her." Kim pause, composing herself. "I'm the reason her little brother got killed and she is still concerned about me. I don't deserve it."

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

Kim looked at Erin frankly. "You can find Maria Robinson and the guys that took her."

Jay nodded and stood up. "We're heading back to the station now, we just wanted to stop by. We'll catch them, and we'll let you know the moment that we do."

"Call me if you need anything" Erin said, giving her friend's arm a reassuring squeeze.

A phone rang. Jay reached into his pocket and pulled it out. "It's Dawson" he said to the room, before accepting the call and putting the phone to his ear. "What's up?"

The other officers looked towards him eagerly awaiting news, but he didn't say a word as he listened to what Antonio had to tell him. "We'll be right there" he said, and ended the call. He turned to Lindsay. "Mouse may have found the van. We've got to go."

* * *

Voight brought the car to a halt and put the handbrake on. HE talked to Adam while looking straight out the windshield. "Look, I know you're worried about Izzy but you've got to keep it together."

Adam had been staring out the passenger side window the whole time they had been driving but looked up at the sound of Voight's voice.

"We all love that kid of yours but you won't do her or Burgess any good if you lose your head. You've got a lot to think about as it is, the hearing's in a week and now this." Hank stopped there. Adam didn't need Voight telling him what his problems were, he was all too aware. Voight turned in his seat to face the younger detective. "I respect that you want to help the investigation and keep busy, so I'll let you. But I have to ask, can you do your job?"

Adam nodded, making his mind up. "Absolutely Serge."

Voight nodded. "Alright then. Let's go."

Adam gave him a quizzical look. "Go?"

Voight unclipped his seatbelt, getting back to business. "Uniform picked up Trent Robinson 20 minutes ago, they've been waiting for us."

Voight climbed out of the car and slammed the door, Adam followed suit. The teenager in question was sat on an upturned crate, his hands cuffed in his lap. He looked jittery but dejected, his head bowed. He didn't even look up when Voight and Ruzek approached.

"Sergeant Voight." A young patrol woman by the name of Caroline Lewis stepped forward to meet them, her partner hung back, hovering close to Trent in case he decided to make a run for it. Adam didn't think there was much danger of that, the kid looked defeated.

"Officer Lewis. Fill me in."

"Mr Robinson here tried to rob this convenience store. The owner managed to lock the doors to keep him from getting away and called 911. It was a sloppy attempt, I don't think he thought it through. He didn't even have a weapon."

"Was anyone hurt?" Adam asked.

Lewis shook her head. "No, not much damage either. The owner took pity on him, said he won't press charges. But we cuffed him anyway when we found out his name. We knew you'd want to talk to him."

Voight nodded in appreciation. "Thanks. We've got it from here."

The two uniformed officers stepped away as Voight and Adam approached Trent. When Voight crouched down in front of him the kid finally looked up. "Trent Robinson?"

Trent nodded. "I'm sorry" he said. "I never meant for it to get this far." His voice was filled with anguish and he dropped his gaze again, shaking his head with a pained expression on his face.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Adam had to take a breath to stay calm, Voight's words from a moment ago ringing in his ears. He wanted to shake Trent and demand he tell them everything right then and there but he had to stay calm.

"Here?" Trent asked. "Or with those guys that…" he stopped. He couldn't say it. He swallowed. "I owe them money. They called me, said they'd bring Maria back if I paid up. But I don't have it, I didn't know what else to do. I know it was stupid."

Voight placed a hand on his shoulder. "Alright" he said. "We don't need to do this here, we can talk back at the station." Hank stood up and beckoned Lewis over. "Can we take these cuffs off? He's not going anywhere."

Adam closed the door of the patrol car once Trent was safely inside and leant on the roof. "What's the plan?"

"Call his parents. Then we have to interview him right away, we can't waste any more time."

"Are we really not going to charge him with attempted robbery?"

Voight sighed. "This kid's desperate" he said with sympathy. "His sister's missing because of him."

* * *

"This is it" Erin said, slamming the driver's side door shut behind her. She looked down again at the message Mouse had sent to her phone. A still from a traffic camera and a licence plate number. Footage had traced a vehicle see by an eyewitness around the school the day Maria went missing and it had led them to this neighbourhood not far from the elementary school. Erin turned on her flashlight, it was definitely dark now. They were both well aware that with every passing hour the situation grew more and more serious. They had to find this girl, and quickly, and right now this van was the best lead they had. She and Jay walked towards the address they'd been sent.

Antonio appeared when they reached the driveway. "Voight says they've found the brother too. We're definitely getting closer" he said. He said it more for his benefit than Erin and Jay's. He had to believe that they were going to find this girl unharmed, there wasn't any other option that Antonio let himself think. They just had to. Because if they couldn't save an innocent child then what was the point of them going to work every day. He remembered when his own son Diego was kidnapped but pushed the thought down. He had to focus.

"Come on" he said to his colleagues, "it's right this way."

The three of them approached the foreclosed house. There was a heavy-duty lock on the front door and all the windows were boarded shut. "I'll check the house" Antonio said. "You guys take the van."

Erin nodded and snapped on the forensic gloves, careful not to contaminate any evidence that might be on the vehicle. She tried the passenger door first and then the driver's door and was not surprised to find them locked. But when she tried the big sliding side door she was shocked when it opened freely. The lock had been forced and it slip open with ease. She shone her torch inside. It looked empty.

"No one's home" Antonio said, joining her. "I found no points of entry. The van could have just been left here at random, but I'll look into who owned this house."

Erin stuck her head further inside the van. "There has to be something here." Her light illuminated the interior of the vehicle but there was nothing to see with the naked eye. "I'll get forensics down here" she said.

"Hey, what's this?" Jay crouched down, reaching under the van and lifting up and object with a pen he took from his pocket. He held it up to the light and looked up at Erin and Antonio. It was a yellow hair ribbon.

* * *

"I want to see my parents." Trent tapped the side of his water cup, agitated. He looked pleadingly at the attorney sitting beside him. The man firmly shook his head. Trent was a minor, legally he had to be there, but so far this interview had been calm and reasonable, he couldn't step in unless the detectives crossed a line.

"You will" Voight said, "but you've got to give us more."

"I already told you everything, man. You're wasting time, you should be out there looking for Maria."

"We've got every cop in the city looking for your sister" Vought replied. "Tell me again what happened."

Trent's voice rose. He was frustrated, but he did what he was told. Adam sat there watching him without a word, letting Voight take the lead.

"I told you, I owe these guys money. I got a call from them yesterday afternoon. They said they had my sister and if I didn't pay up they would hurt her. They put her on the phone, she sounded so scared. Then they said that if I went to the cops or told anyone their names they'd know about it and hurt her then too. They probably already know that you've got me, I have to go."

"You're not going anywhere" Voight said, not unkindly. "Let us worry about it. You just have to tell us everything you know. Including their names."

"But…"

"Who are they?"

Trent stopped fidgeting with his hands and laid them on his knees under the table. The cuffs were off, he was no longer under arrest. But nor was he free to go, not until he had talked.

"Loan sharks."

"From your neighbourhood?"

Trent nodded. Adam took note to check policy reports from incidents near the Robinson's address in the hope that something might come up.

"How much do you owe?"

"Does it matter?" The young man relented. "$10K."

Voight took a deep breath. "How did you get in that much debt to these guys?"

"I don't know, it crept up on me."

"Trent, I need names. Your parents are right outside but I can't let them in until you give me something."

"I don't know last names" he finally said. "Only first. Dozens of guys work for them, but the ones in charge are called Jason and Brandon." He looked at Voight, fear in his eyes. Fear for himself, the guys would surely track him down and make him pay for speaking to the cops. But mostly fear for his little sister and what they might do to her.

* * *

"Ruzek, go home." It was close to midnight when Voight said those words in a way that dared Adam to argue. They'd interviewed Trent Robinson and released him to his angry and relieved parents with a promise come warning that they would be in touch in the morning and that perhaps he might consider not going anywhere in the meantime.

Adam had turned to head back upstairs after he signed the boy out but was blocked on the stairs by his sergeant. "I'll get mouse to trace the number these guys called him from. You need to sleep. And be with your family."

Adam didn't need telling twice.

He was in the hallway of his building now, trying to extract his keys from his jacket pocket with minimal noise. He pulled his hat off his head and gently turned the key in the lock. The living room light was still on, but neither Kim or Izzy were anywhere to be seen. He put his jacket, keys and hat on the sofa and kicked off his shoes. Now he was home he realised how exhausted he was. It had been a long day, but more than that, the constant worry of what was at stake had slowly sapped his energy.

He checked Izzy's room first. The bed was made and the light was off, but the mystery of her whereabouts was solved when he entered his own bedroom. Kim was fast asleep, her face turned towards the door so that the light from the hallway illuminated her face. She didn't stir, Adam bet she was as exhausted as he was. Beside her in the space he usually slept in, a child-sized lump in the covers rose and fell steadily. One ear of the fluffy white rabbit that he'd bought Izzy for her second birthday poked out the side of the covers.

Adam smiled and quietly closed the door. He was sleeping on the couch tonight.


	6. Chapter 6

_Happy Friday guys! My little shipper heart is very happy this week! Loved seeing Paddy back on my screen. Also, congrats to Marina on her lovely news. I hope you enjoy this next instalment._

 **Chapter 6**

The first thing Adam was aware of when he woke up was that his nose tickled. Semi-conscious, he brushed his hand in front of his face a few times, but to no avail. He finally forced his eyes open and saw that it was the light brown pony tail belonging to his daughter that was the cause. He looked down at her. She had crawled onto the couch with him in the night and was curled in a ball on his chest, her thumb was in her mouth and she was sleeping soundly. For the moment. She held one corner of his blanket in her tight little fist and the rest of it trailed onto the floor.

It was a testament to how tired he had been that he hadn't noticed her arrival in the night. That night's sleep was just what he had needed but now he was itching to get back to work and throw himself into their investigation once again. He reached for his phone on the side table, careful not to let Izzy fall.

It was 7:25am. Adam groaned. He had wanted to be at work by now. He sat up slowly and carefully lifted Izzy, placing her back down on the couch in the same curled up position. He took a moment to marvel at his daughter and smiled, before making his way to his bedroom.

Kim was already awake. She was standing in front of the full-length mirror brushing her hair. She saw Adam's reflection approach and grinned, Adam snaked his arms around her body and nuzzled his face into her hair, breathing in her scent before she turned her head for a kiss. "Good morning" Adam greeted quietly. "How long have you been up?"

Kim put down the brush on the dresser and turned so she was facing Adam, her own arms wrapped around his waist. "Not too long."

"You didn't wake me."

"You and Izzy looked so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you."

"I have to get back to work" Adam said, reluctantly. "And I think Izzy should go back to school." He felt Kim stiffen in his arms and rubbed her back soothingly. "Yesterday was tough for her, I think a familiar routine would be good for her. There are still officers at the school, she'll be safe." Kim hesitated, still not saying anything. "But if you're not comfortable with that, she can stay home."

Kim looked at the floor a moment then back at Adam. "No, you're right. I think I'm going to feel just as worried no matter where she is."

"We've got several leads now, we're getting closer, it will be over soon."

Kim smiled at her husband, looking deep into his eyes, trying her best to convey to him that she was ok. Kim knew he would worry about her anyway, but she wanted to do her best to save him from that. Adam searched her face, unsure if she was being truthful, but he didn't say anything.

"I love you" she said, reaching up to kiss him on his lips. A kiss which he gladly returned.

"I love you too darling" Adam replied, but then released her from his grip. "I need to take a shower."

Minutes later, Kim heard the shower switch on as she walked into the living room and crouched down in front of her daughter. She brushed the little girl's soft hair out of her eyes then gently shook her.

"Wake up sweetie" she said, and Izzy let out a sleepy groan. "It's time to get ready for school."

Izzy squirmed and tried to pull the blanket over her face to hide. Kim laughed, and shook her again. "Come on."

Izzy shook her head, still not opening her eyes. There was only one thing for it. Kim lifted up the blanket and started tickling Izzy. Pretty soon the girl was definitely awake, and shrieking with laughter, miffed at being woken up at all but unable to stay mad for long. Kim lifted her into her arms, blanket, rabbit and all. She was getting too big to carry easily now, but Kim was going to keep trying for as long as she possibly could. She wasn't ready to accept that her baby was no longer a baby.

Izzy rubbed her eyes. "I'm going to school?"

"Yeah kiddo" Kim said. "Mommy and Daddy have things to do today. You better go pick out an outfit to wear."

Kim put Izzy down on the floor and she scampered into her bedroom. Kim picked up the fallen blanket from the floor. The truth was, Kim had nothing to do today. Nothing to do but sit at home and worry about her husband and her child and her own future. The thoughts in her head at this moment alternated between imagining what Izzy was going through and picturing Keisha Lawrence's face the evening before. Kim began folding the blanket, staring out the window in a daze.

She must have been standing there a while because the next thing she noticed was Izzy tugging on the sleeve of her sweater. Kim blinked and looked down at her daughter. "I'm sorry baby. What's up?"

"Daddy says we're going to be late" she said. She had on her coat and hat and little back pack. Adam was standing by the front door also dressed to leave, a take-out mug of coffee in one hand and his car keys in the other.

"You go" Kim said, smiling at him.

Adam looked concerned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes" Kim said brightly, bending down to give Izzy a kiss. "Have a good day at school sweetie."

Adam blew Kim a kiss across the room and Izzy ran passed him out the door. "I'll call you later" he said. "Are you sure you'll be ok?"

Kim nodded. "Absolutely. I think I'll go for a run."

* * *

"Be good Sweetpea." Adam crouched down on the tarmac of the playground so he was eye level with Izzy. He kissed her on the nose which made her giggle.

Miss Martinez smiled. "Don't worry" she said. "We'll not let the kids out of our sight, trust me."

Adam nodded, standing up. "There are uniformed police posted outside the gates and down the street. But if anything happens, if you see anyone, call right away."

The stern tone to Adam's voice startled Izzy. She chewed on her glove nervously. Adam looked down at his little girl again, at her concern over his words and his heart melted. Perhaps he should have kept her home after all. Truth was, he didn't know what was best. "It's ok baby" he said, lifting Izzy into his arms. "Me or Mommy will be back to pick you up when school ends. You can tell us all about what you do today." Izzy nodded, still unsure but evidently calmer. She felt safe in her Daddy's arms, as long as he was there everything would be alright. "Hey, it's Thursday" he said, grinning. "That's reading day right? You better tell me a story later!"

Izzy brightened. Stories were what she loved more than almost anything. More than colouring or Lucky Charms or jumping in puddles. "I will Daddy" she promised.

"Excellent." Adam set her down and gave her one pat on her head. She hugged his leg quickly, then ran inside. "It better have dragons!" Adam called after her, but she was already out of sight. The teacher nodded at him and followed Izzy out of the cold.

At the school gates, Roman and Blake stood on the sidewalk, their arms wrapped tightly around themselves to keep out the cold.

"Adam" Sean said by way of greeting. "How's Izzy?"

Adam sighed. "She's doing okay."

Roman paused. "How's Kim?"

Adam didn't answer right away. This question he was less sure of the answer to. He could tell she was fragile, a word she would hate to know he was using to describe her, even if it was only in his head. She had fought her whole career to be seen as tough and capable and not the petite delicate woman that so many old timer cops thought she was. Adam wanted so badly to tell her that she didn't have to try to be anything around him, that he loved her no matter what version of herself she was that day.

"Kim's worried" was his reply to Roman. "We're both worried. But there's no point panicking." He shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded slowly. "You spot anyone hanging around?"

Blake shook his head. "No, we'll call if we do. That's if our whole bodies don't freeze and leave us unable to operate that radio."

Adam shrugged as if to say 'what are you gonna do?' but took pity when he glanced down the street and spotted the café. "Sit tight, I'll grab you some coffee."

Down the street, barely in sight of the school, a non-descript innocent looking car was parked on the curb. The driver watched Adam jog across the road and enter the café. He grabbed his phone from the front seat. "Hey" he said when the call was answered, "you're gonna wanna hear this."

* * *

Kim's frosty breath bloomed in a cloud before her as she ran. She concentrated on nothing but the rhythm of her feet on the path. The park was almost empty, keeping out everyone but the most intrepid dog walkers. The cold wind ripped through her sweater but Kim didn't care. Staying in her apartment alone without Izzy to concentrate on would drive her crazy. Kim blocked all sounds out of her mind but her own breathing.

She really didn't know what to do about any of this. Her world was slowly but surely slipping away from her and she felt utterly lost over how to stop it. 6 months ago she would have thrown herself into her work as a distraction, because when she was on the job she knew what she was doing, she could work the problem and find a solution, but right now she couldn't even do that. Throwing herself into her job was what caused half her troubles in the first place.

She didn't want to let Izzy go to school this morning, but Adam seemed so sure that it was the right thing to do that she didn't question him. She hadn't trusted her judgement much over the past few months, not even when it came down to what was best for her daughter. But she did trust Adam, and more than anything she knew that he wouldn't do anything if he thought Izzy would be in danger. If she didn't trust anything else, she trusted that.

She came to a stop at a bench by the lake, breathing hard. It was only then that she realised her cell phone was buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out just as the call went to voice mail and saw a total of three missed calls from her lawyer. She stared at the voicemail notification for so long that the phone screen started to fog with her breath.

She didn't listen to the message. She didn't want a recording telling her bad news, because she knew her lawyer wouldn't be calling her so insistently if it wasn't bad news. She'd rather hear it straight from his mouth. She returned the call and paced back and forth as it rang.

When the call was answered, Kim could hear the background sound of a train station. "Will" she said, doing her best to sound nonchalant. "What's up?"

"Kim" said William Foster, the attorney who had been assigned her case. When Kim first met him, she thought him a rookie, but quickly realised that the bright eyed fresh face appearance of this man was deceptive, and that many an opposing team had been equally fooled by his apparent youth. The guy was good. She hoped so, anyway. "I've been trying to get hold of you. There's been a change, Keisha Lawrence is testifying after all."

"What?" Kim felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She believed the girl the night before when she had told Kim she was sorry for all that was happening and how she wished things were different. Was that all a lie? What had happened to make her change her mind.

"I got word from the office this morning, I need to…"

"I saw her" Kim said. Perhaps it wasn't wise to admit, but she was trying to make sense of this turn of events and that's always how she'd done it, but talking out loud through events. "Keisha came to my home. She apologised to me, Will. And now what, she wants me to be found guilty after all?" Kim's head was reeling but her lawyer's firm but tern voice calling her name made her stop talking and stop pacing.

"Kim. You don't understand. She's not testifying for the prosecution, she's decided to testify in your defence."

* * *

"Here's what we know." Voight slapped a photo of a young man on the board and faced his team. Usually he stood back and let one of them take the lead on case updates, only jumping in when he felt it necessary, but this was different. This was a missing child. He wasn't going to take any chances. "Forensics pulled prints off the steering wheel of the van, they belong to Jerome Grant, 22. If he's involved in this gang, he's low level, but he's the only lead we've got." Hank pulled a sheet of paper from the file "We found an address" he said, holding it out to Antonio. "You and Ruzek check it out."

As the two detectives drove across town, Antonio was weighing up the best way to get Adam to open up. The younger man was on edge, understandably so, and Antonio wanted to help, without pushing him all the way over the edge.

The came to a stop light and Antonio took the opportunity to speak. He decided the best way was to come right out with it. "I'm not going to ask if you're ok, because I know you're not. I know what it's like to have a child in danger and I know there is no worse feeling in the world." Adam didn't respond but Antonio knew he was listening. As the traffic light turned green and he pulled away, Antonio continued. "When Diego was taken, I was so concerned about him and Eva and Laura that my own feelings were the last thing on my mind. It wasn't until it was all over that everything hit me. It took me a while to get over it. I bet you everyone's asked after Kim and Izzy all day long, but has anyone asked how you are?"

Adam played with his wedding ring as he let Antonio's words sink in. He twirled it around his finger and smiled. "Only Kim. She tells me all the time I need to think about myself more often, even before this all went down, but how can I? My girls are my life. If I take even a minute to really consider how I'm feeling I'll break down and I can't afford to do that. Who knows what kind of danger Izzy might be in, how can I protect her if I'm a sobbing wreck? And Kim's going to be put through the ringer in court in less than a week, she need's me to be strong.

Antonio took his eyes off the road for a second to look at Adam. "I'm here for you man" was all he said. "We all are."

Adam nodded. "I know. In a couple of weeks this will all be over and I will let myself fall apart, if that's what happens. But right now, I just need to focus on work."

* * *

Kim walked through the main doors of the station in her own world and literally walked straight into Erin. The whole time she'd been at home while she showered and changed from her run, it was like she was on autopilot and apparently she still hadn't snapped out of her daze.

"I'm sorry."

Erin smiled. "Not a problem." She swung her coat onto her shoulders and fished her hat out of one of the pockets while she waited for Kim to speak. It was getting colder, snow was coming. The younger woman didn't say a word. "Kim, are you ok?" Erin was concerned.

"I'm looking for Adam."

"He's not here" Erin said, "he's gone with Antonio to pick up a suspect." At the shell-shocked look on Kim's face, she asked "has something happened? Is it Izzy?"

"Izzy's fine" Kim was quick to answer the second part of Erin's question and was touched anew by the love that her colleagues had for her daughter. The fact that she and Adam could love her so much was mind-blowing enough, but the last couple of days she had found a new level of respect for the people she worked with, that they could love her child as much as they did. Kim looked around the room and lowered her voice. "I got a call from my lawyer."

Erin put a comforting hand on Kim's arm. "I'm starving, I was going to run to the diner for some breakfast and come right back, but I can just as easily eat my porridge over there. Do you want to talk?" Kim nodded. "I'll be right back, I'll leave a message at the front desk for someone to call us when Adam gets back."

Down the street, the two women slid into a booth opposite each other and took off their heavy coats. The warmth of the diner was a welcome contrast to the bitter cold outside, and the fogged up window did an effective job of blocking out the world outside.

"Keisha Lawrence wants to testify for my defence" Kim said finally when they had ordered breakfast and their coffees were in front of them. She took a sip. "I don't know what to think about that."

Erin took this in. "It's a good thing surely. Do you trust her?"

Kim thought about this. She did. She thought she did. But when people are grieving they can be unpredictable. Who's to say Keisha would even go through with it, she still had 6 days to change her mind. "That family have been through enough" she said finally instead of directly answering Erin's question. "I told her before, she should be there for her parents, she shouldn't be worrying about me. She's only a kid, she had a rocky relationship with her parents even before, I don't want her to make it worse on my account."

Erin took a long gulp of her own coffee. She'd met Keisha, she'd watched her get her life together with Kim's help, and her heart had broken all the while, as she thought of Nadia and her own parallel experience. Sometimes you met someone in trouble and they got under your skin, and you couldn't sleep at night unless you at least tried to help them. Nadia had been that person for Erin and she could tell that Keisha was that person for Kim.

"I just wanted to help her" Kim continued. "That night, I went because Keisha asked for my help. And instead of helping her, I got her little brother killed." Kim was visibly upset, and Erin reached across and squeezed Kim's hand. "I don't understand why she even wants to see me again, let alone help me. I don't deserve it."

"You do" Erin said, but immediately knew how futile her words were.

Kim waved them away. "A 12 year old died because I got too involved. I became a cop to help people but at the moment it seems that I'm only hurting people,"

* * *

Jay turned around from talking to Platt at the front desk when he felt a draft from outside. He smiled when he saw Antonio's girlfriend Libby walk through the door. She pushed the hood of her coat off her head and ran her hands through her long dark hair. "Hey" he said, looking back to the papers in front of him long enough to sign his name on a form. He passed it back to Platt. "I'm sorry, Antonio's not here."

"Hi Jay" she said. "It's alright, I can wait. We had a coffee date, but I'm in no hurry. The class I'm teaching isn't until 3."

Jay remembered Antonio telling him she was a gym instructor. The more he learnt about this woman the more he wished he'd met her first, but he shook that thought from his head. He was happy for Antonio that he had met someone who made him happy.

Behind the desk, Trudy Platt coughed.

"Oh, sorry" Jay said, coming back to himself. "Sergeant Platt, this is Libby…" he stopped, realising he didn't know her last name.

"Libby Webster. I'm Antonio's girlfriend. Pleased to meet you." Libby stuck out her hand to Platt and the sergeant shook it, raising her eyebrow at Jay in admiration.

"Nice to meet you" Platt said.

But she wasn't allowed to say any more. The doors flew open again, more forcefully this time, and the whole room filled with icy air. Mr Robinson stood in the reception area breathing heavily. "Please" he said, trying to catch his breath. "Trent snuck out of the house this morning. My son is missing."

This was the moment Voight and Attwater descended the stairs. "Mr Robinson" Voight said. "What happened?"

"Trent's gone" was the reply he got from the distraught father. "He went to find Maria on his own. He's going to get himself killed."


End file.
